The Mayonnaise Jar

The Mayonnaise Jar ……..

When things in your life seem almost too much to handle,
When 24 hours in a day is not enough; remember the mayonnaise jar.

A professor stood before his philosophy class and had some items in front of him..

When the class began, wordlessly, he picked up a very large and empty mayonnaise jar and started to fill it with golf balls.

He then asked the students if the jar was full. They agreed that it was.

The professor then picked up a box of pebbles and poured it into the jar.
He shook the jar lightly. The pebbles rolled into the open areas between the golf balls.

He then asked the students again if the jar was full.
They agreed it was.

The professor next picked up a box of sand and poured it into the jar.
Of course, the sand filled up everything else. He asked once more if the jar was full. The students responded with a unanimous 'yes.'

The professor then produced two cups of coffee from under the table
and poured the entire contents into the jar, effectively filling the empty space between the sand. The students laughed.

'Now,' said the professor, as the laughter subsided, 'I want you to recognize that this jar represents your life.

The golf balls are the important things - God, family, children, health, friends, and favorite passions. Things that if everything else was lost and only they remained, your life would still be full.

The pebbles are the things that matter like your job, house, and car.

The sand is everything else -- The small stuff.

'If you put the sand into the jar first,' he continued, 'there is no room for the pebbles or the golf balls. The same goes for life.

If you spend all your time and energy on the small stuff, You will never have room for the things that are important to you.

So...

Pay attention to the things that are critical to your happiness.
Wholeheartedly worship your God.
Play with your children.
Take time to get medical checkups.
Take your partner out to dinner.

There will always be time to clean the house and fix the dripping tap.

'Take care of the golf balls first -- The things that really matter. Set your priorities. The rest is just sand.'

One of the students raised her hand and inquired what the coffee represented.

The professor smiled.

'I'm glad you asked'.

It just goes to show you that no matter how full your life may seem,
there's always room for a couple of cups of coffee with a friend.'

Please share this with other "Golf Balls."

Saying Goodbye

It is never easy to say goodbye to family when the come to visit. Cesario, Kenzie, Maggie and I were so grateful that Ty and Adrian were able to come visit. We appreciated that they took time out of there schedules to make that long flight over. It was nice having them in the house and we wished they could have stayed longer. The good thing is we will always have our pictures and memories of their trip here.

235th Army Ball~ Honoring Pacific Heroes

This years Army Ball was like no other as we got take Tyler and Adrian with us. We were really excited about them having this experience. We were fortunate that my parents got to attend with us in 2004. We all got dressed up and had a fabulous time. Dinner was great, we took lots of pictures, mingled and danced. Ty and Adrian seemed to fit right in. It is always cool when we can bring people who don't usually attend these types of military functions and have them see what really happens.



At the end of the night we got a ride home with a bunch of friends. It was a beautiful evening with a gorgeous moon on the ocean. We all decided to walk down to the beach which is something I have always wanted to do but haven't. We sat and enjoyed each other company and brought their trip to a finale. I am so thankful that they were able to come out and enjoy us and Okinawa.

Out and About with Ty and Adrian

One of the first places Adrian requested to go was Shakey's Pizza. They are very scarce in the US so it was quite a treat. Ty had never had it and loved it. We had 2 large pizza, potatoes and chicken. If you have never tried Shakeys it is a definite must on the bucket list.


Ty and I decided to have ramen for lunch one day. Ty ordered the soy sauce ramen. It was so delicious it is one I now order regularly when we hit up the ramen shop by our house.


I was able to get off early on one day and drove the kids around the area. We went to Gala and had plans on hitting on Murasaki Mura until it stated to pour. This is an outdoor tour so we were literally SOL.


I decide to reroute and took them to the place the make the Okinawan cookies that are so divine. We got to see the cookies be made and packaged.


While at the cookie place the kids got to see a bottle of Habu Saki. It is one of the most potent alcohol drinks made here on Okinawa. The snake inside the bottle is as poisinous as a rattlesnake.



Although the weather kept us from doing some things we didn't let is bother us. We found other things to do and that still allowed Ty and Adrian to see our beautiful island.

Yoshihachi

One of our all time favorite places is Yoshihachi. It is the best sushi I have ever had. Anytime we have out of town guests we usually will take them here for dinner. They have tatami mat seating which is always fun and the food is fantastic. The best part of it all is taking pictures with Yoshihachi. He has never once told us no when we have requested a picture. He does love to tell you to hurry in Spanish no less but it is always great time.

Pinapple Park, Churaumi Aquarium and Orion Brewery

Cesario and I were not able to take too many days off let alone together. One of the few days we did get we decided to head north. Our first stop was the Pineapple Park. We did our little buggy tour and then inside for some pineapple sampling. We didn't spend too much time here as it isn't huge and you can usually get through it fairly quickly.

Our next stop was the aquarium. We have been here so many times but I love it every time we come.


My favorite part of the whole aquarium is the whale sharks. The tank sits in an auditorium type setting. I could sit and watch them all day.


There is also a very cool shark display but the sharks are typically not very active.


Our last stop was the Orion Brewery. Luckily Cesario offered to be the DD so I knew what that meant.


We walked ourselves through the tour which took about 10 minutes. I could care less about the tour as each time we have gone through it nothing is going on. Almost like everyone took the day off. My favorite part is the FREE beer at the end. They give you a ticket and tell you that you can sample a beer yet they keep them coming. We only had 2 but the last time I was here our group drank for about an hour. We bought some mugs, snacks and beer cozies.

Forest Adventure Park

Now this was a great way to spend a Satuday. I had been dying to go but had waited so long that I decided to wait until the kids arrived. I figured it would be a great activity for us to do. I made reservations and we were joined by Jaina, Travis, Brooks and Brian. What an amazing time. We arrived and were taken up the moutain by a van. We checked into the harness stationed and strapped up so we could proceed on. We were given a quick lesson on how to connect to the zip lines. Once we all got through our little test we were off. Nothing could have prepared for such a great time. There were about 15 zip lines and some other stuff inbetween. We are had a fantastic time!

Beach, Sushi and Karaoke

. The kids were pretty much on their own today as both Cesario and I had to work. It just so happened that Emilio had come into town for the summer and the Cisnero's wanted to celebrate. We went to Kitakaisen (sushi place) for dinner. Then we headed over to karaoke. We didn't explain to the kids that karaoke in Japan is done in an individual room with your group. It was a good time and I think Adrian enjoyed signing.

Ty and Adrian go on The Battle of Okinawa Tour

Unfortunately, Cesario and I both had to work today. We were super lucky and were able to sent Ty and Adrian with the Japanese Headstart Class on this tour. We dropped them off at 0800 and they did not return until the late afternoon. They spent the day with Miyagi-san our Japanese Headstart instructor. Because we did not go I am not able to include a picture. I was a bit jealous as but only by fault of my own but this is my second tour here and I have yet to do this tour. I will definitely have to put in on my "to do" list.

Comics on Duty

We are all about entertaining and it is even better when it is FREE! We decided it would be fun to go see Comics on Duty down at Torii Beach. There weren't a whole lot of people but most of our close friends were ther which made it much more fun. We ate and had a couple drinks. We wanted them to see how lucky we are to live so close to Torii and the cool things it has to offer.

Ty & Adrian come to visit!!!

Most people are well aware that this is our second tour in Okinawa. We were fortunate during the first tour to have our both sets of parents visit as well as my sister and her boyfriend. We have been here a little over 2 years and my sister's friend Carolyn came in August 2009 ( I had only met her once) and my sister came in October 2009. After years of trying we were finally able to get my 17 year old niece and boyfriend to visit.

So the adventure began when we picked Ty and Adrian up at the airport. Can't wait to see what we will do during their trip.

Help Needed ASAP

I found this on Okinawa Yard Sales and could not help but to post it on Facebook and our BLOG.

HELP NEEDED ASAP:

Please help!!!! After two long years of being on a waiting list for an agility dog, we have been notified by the breeder that, at long last, our number has come up and ...WE ARE HAVING A PUPPY!!!

We must get rid of our children IMMEDIATELY because we just know how time consuming our new little puppy is going to be and it just wouldn't be fair to the children. Since our little puppy will be arriving on Monday we MUST place the children into rescue this weekend!

The children are described as:
One male - His name is Tommy, Caucasian (English/Irish mix), light blonde hair, blue eyes. Four years old. Excellent disposition. He doesn't bite. Temperament tested. Does have problems with peeing directly in the toilet. Has had chicken Pox and is current on all shots. Tonsils have already been removed. Tommy eats everything, is very clean, house trained & gets along well with others. Does not run with scissors and with a little training he should be able to read soon.

One female - Her name is Lexie, Caucasian (English/Irish mix), strawberry blonde hair, green eyes quite freckled. Two years old. Can be surly at times. Non-biter, thumb sucker. Has been temperament tested but needs a little attitude adjusting occasionally. She is current on all shots, tonsils out, and is very healthy & can be affectionate. Gets along well with other little girls & little boys but does not like to share her toys and therefore would do best in a one child household. She is a very quick learner and is currently working on her house training-shouldn't take long at all.

We really do LOVE our children so much and want to do what's right for them; that is why we contacted a rescue group. But we simply can no longer keep them. Also, we are afraid that they may hurt our new puppy.

I hope you understand that ours is a UNIQUE situation and we have a real emergency here!!! They MUST be placed into your rescue by Sunday night at the latest or we will be forced to drop them off at the orphanage or along some dark, country road. Our priority now has to be our new puppy.

Yes, suggesting you get rid of your children is ridiculous, but so is getting rid of your dog because you have a human child now!